“Be open and help where you can, but really learn a lot,” said Jen Welter, who last summer coached inside linebackers for the Arizona Cardinals during training camp. “Try to have good advice. I never wanted to talk over anybody. It's going to be a little more tough for her on the football side, but thankfully she has the trust of the coaches.”

Smith, a longtime administrative assistant for the New York Jets and Bills coach Rex Ryan, will work as quality control coach for special teams.

Ryan reached out to Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians recently to talk about the experience of working with Welter, who had played on a men’s semi-pro team as well as in women’s professional leagues before going into coaching. Welter told USA TODAY Sports that she believes her experience last summer – and Arians’ recommendation to Ryan – “without a doubt” helped make Smith’s promotion possible.

“That’s an honor for me,” Welter told USA TODAY Sports in a phone interview on Thursday.

The one difference Welter noted between her experience and Smith’s is that Welter had playing experience that she could draw on when relating to players. Cardinals players told USA TODAY Sports last summer that they looked up Welter’s highlights on the Internet as they grew to know her.

“The biggest advantage I had with those guys was the street credibility having played. That might be the most difficult part for her," Welter said. "She obviously a great resume and background and relationship with the coaching staff. But everybody coaches in their own different way, and if she's as detail-oriented and meticulously well-prepared as I've heard she is, what she'll be able to give those players is a really well-prepared plan of all of the information they need on special teams."

Welter’s coaching internship with the Cardinals ended after training camp, and she said she’s spent the fall working on becoming a better coach. She has participated in coaching clinics and will be working with a women’s team in Australia after the Super Bowl.

Still, she’s hoping another NFL opportunity comes around, and she’s been reaching out to teams recently as head coaches are building their staffs.

“There have been so many great opportunities. Everyone's road is a little bit different, so I was glad to have opened up the door for her and my path is just a little different,” Welter said.